"On the Black Rock..."

Contrary to popular belief, one becomes a government major at Hamilton College not because it is one of the easiest majors avaliable. That is simply a perk. Government majors are the kind of people that you should be really nice to and give lots of pats on the head, because bless their souls, these are the people that actually theoretically want to get involved in politics. When it comes down to it, endless ideas inspire change, but those changes only occur through politics. This is why you need to give the government major a lot of pats on the head. They are either naiive enough, brilliant enough, or driven enough to believe that they in fact do have the power to change the world.

China, however, leaves the government major with a helplessness. The government major stands on the bridge on Jintai Lu just south of the Soho building. The government major looks west and sees skyscrapper after skyscrapper, with a few cranes thrown in there just to make the point that there will be more skyscrappers. The government major looks east and sees the hutongs, and the men fishing on the river (Beijing, by the way, is so flat you cannot tell which direction the river is supposed to flow), and the people bicycling home with friut tied down to their baskets. The government major looks north to see the Soho building with it's Dairy Queen (Yes, Virginia, there is a Dairy Queen, globalization may be evil but at least we are giving the gift of soft serve. How can that be wrong?) and clean, modern, and very expensive chinese restaurants. The government major looks south to the market where meat hangs from stalls, kids and dogs run free, and an entire meal and outfit can be bought for about $4 U.S.

So in answer to your question, Yes. China is becoming a modern society, and it is doing so very quickly. But not all of China. There are displays of extreme wealth next to extreme poverty. The government major looks at the conditions of the masses and says, "Now this, this has got to go." So many forces are responsible for the new found wealth in China, but at the same time so many people are being left behind.

The great endless debate in American society is whether we are God's gift to the world, or whether we are screwing it up for everyone else. So far it's kind of a coin-toss. It makes you feel like you need to look around think to yourself, "Self, how is all this entirely my fault?" And then, "Let's fix it! Whoo!"

But there is something about China. In the sense that, It's China. What exactly did you want me to do? Never have I been anywhere where I felt that power is definitely not in my hands. China is now a very capitalist, rather open society, but there is still that totalitarian government. It's in the background of everything, from me going to buy a DVD to me trying to talk to somebody. I walk around with absolutely no fear because I hear assaulting a tourist is punishable by death. The government is still the center. And it's moving China forward, but dropping the ball at the same time.

Look back to the east to the hutongs. Clock is ticking on them. Those cranes are getting close, and those houses will be eradicated to build more skyscrappers. Those people are going to have to move outside the city. China is like one big team, and they must be team players and get out of the way of progress. Nor should they get hurt in the process of moving because there is no medicare in China. I asked a Chinese student what happens to people who get hurt that don't have medical insurance. She said they become Buddist. Which is a funny answer until you realize it's sad. The team let them down on that one. But it can't be changed. At least not by me. China is just too big and too sketchy and too many people and I can't read much less navigate how to even start to turn this thing around.

The Chinese are very polite, and I have a feeling that if I went up to President Hu Jintao and said in my broken Chinese, "You need to end poverty." He would respond with, "Who the hell are you?" and I would simply keep saying, "Wo bu ming bai (I don't understand)," followed by, "You need to end poverty." Eventually he probably would end poverty just to get this foreigner on her way.

I'm not going to try that though. China has given me only more questions than answers, and I am not here to answer them. Don't know if I could even if I tried.

I am but a humble cyclist. The government major is really going to have to save ending poverty in China for another trip.